Peugeot in rehearsal at Spa

Peugeot , after winning the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 21, will take part in his second preparatory race for the 24 Hours of Le Mans of the year. This time, there will be a duel against Audi and the 1000 kilometers of Spa will only be a six-hour sprint. The very tough field will therefore allow the French manufacturer to measure itself against the opponents it will find in Sarthe.

But, for Olivier Quesnel, director of Peugeot Sport, victory is not the objective of the Ardennes weekend. “ The message is clear: we will not take any risks on the track, He says. We do not want to jeopardize our preparation program. Victory at all costs is not in the scenario. Obviously we won't shy away from it if it comes to us, but it is in no way a major objective. »

« Our priority objective is Le Mans, recalls Olivier Quesnel. As such, everything we discuss upstream is preparation. The danger of Spa is that the entire field is present, in theory in Le Mans configuration and therefore ready. Four weeks before Le Mans, it is not possible to damage a car and thus tire out a technical team which must arrive at Le Mans in excellent conditions. »

« Spa-Francorchamps must allow us to repeat each of our gestures, starting with the ballet in the stands with the refueling, wheel changes and driver changes which will be decisive, continues Quesnel. We must also work on our strategy and our drivers must familiarize themselves with the 2010 grid, particularly in traffic management with overtaking which is sometimes difficult and even dangerous! »

Bruno Famin confirms that victory is not the objective on a track very different from that of Le Mans. The 908 HDi FAP themselves will not bring together the characteristics they will display in Sarthe. “ All three cars will be in the same aero “sprint” configuration as at Sebring., explains the technical director of Peugeot Sport. It is therefore not the Le Mans version. Technically, we want to refine a few details during this Belgian meeting. Thus, and as usual in short races, we will not start "from new" but each car will have parts with sufficient mileage potential for testing and the race. Above all, it is for all of us, mechanics and engineers, to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the race. »